Okay
by bonusvampirus
Summary: Astor and Cody killed someone. Dexter and Hannah found them. Astor has a lot of questions, and a lot of mixed emotions.


Title: Okay  
><span>Summary:<span> Astor and Cody killed someone. Dexter and Hannah found them. Astor has a lot of questions, and a lot of mixed emotions.  
><span>Rating:<span> M  
>Word Count: 1354<br>Disclaimer: Showtime owns Dexter and all related trademarks. I do not in any way profit from the use of these trademarks.  
><span>Pairings:<span> Dexter/Hannah  
><span>Contains:<span> fix-it fic for the finale, I guess?  
><span>Warnings:<span> murder (committed by characters who are not murderers in tv-canon).

* * *

><p>"I hate you," Astor said, pushing away the food she'd been offered. "I wish he'd never met you. You ruined <em>everything<em>!"

"You said that to me, once," Dexter said calmly, stoking the fire.

"Yeah," Astor said. "Maybe I meant it."

"Did you?" Dexter asked.

"Maybe I _should_ have!" Astor glared at Hannah McKay. "I do hate you. Really. I've had ten years to think about that one."

"You barely know her, Astor," Dexter pointed out.

"I know that she's the reason you left us!" Astor said, glaring at Dexter. "I know that just when I started feeling like maybe things could be okay again, suddenly you were dead and Harrison was missing and it was all _her_ fault because you wanted to run away with her!" Astor got quiet. "You loved her more than us."

"No," Dexter said, shaking his head.

"It was never the plan to abandon you," Hannah assured Astor, sitting down across the table from her. "Dexter never wanted that. But when your aunt died... things happened quickly. _Too_ quickly. And we were separated from each other for months, and by the time we were all reunited there was an international manhunt. For Harrison's sake, we had to lie low."

"For Harrison's sake?!" Astor repeated. "You actually think that growing up on the run is what's best for Harrison?!"

"Compared to the alternative—"

"The alternative was me and Cody," Astor said. "Our mother was the Trinity Killer's final victim before his own family, and then _you_," she glared at Dexter, "ran off with a serial killer. And you know what the sick part is? Cody and I started to put things together after you left. We know what you are. You're just like her. Just like Trinity."

"I am _nothing_ like Arthur Mitchell!" Dexter said. "I would _never_ hurt you or your brothers! And I never wanted your mother to get hurt either!"

"But she did!" Astor said. "She did, and it was because of _you_! I know it!"

"I can't win with you, can I?" Dexter asked. "You're pissed at me for being there _and_ pissed at me for leaving!"

"I'm pissed at you for being a serial killer!"

"Lucky for you that I am, or you would probably already be in jail by now!"

Astor didn't know what to say to that. For twenty tense seconds, no one moved and the room was so quiet that you could hear the snow falling outside.

"I think you two need a little bit of time apart from each other," Hannah said. "It was a stressful car ride for all of us..."

Dexter shrugged. "Lumen said there was a WalMart in that last town. I'm going to get us something to eat for breakfast..."

It was very sweet of Dexter's former tenant to let them hide out from the law in her cabin in the mountains. It was nice to know that you could be a serial killer and still have good, loyal friends.

And a _family_. Astor and Cody were actually _here_, with Dexter and Harrison. She'd daydreamed so many times about him coming back for them, and after ten long years, he had.

They'd just had to kill someone first.

Dexter had found them three days after the kill, hiding in Miami. (_"You did know what to do. You came home."_)It was too late for Dexter to help them hide their crime, but Dexter Morgan and Hannah McKay had gotten _very_ good at running, over the years. Dexter had asked them _once_ if the man they'd killed—an actor named Robert Chase—had deserved to die. They'd said yes. Dexter hadn't brought it up again until just now. They hadn't asked Dexter how he'd known it was them. The man who shot their grandfather turned up murdered. They supposed that it wasn't much of a leap. Astor didn't really feel bad about it, thought she suspected that Cody did. Astor still believed it had been entirely justified. That was Serial Killer Morality, wasn't it? It was funny what you could pick up from people without ever realizing it.

"Dexter was a serial killer before he met me," Hannah pointed out.

"We didn't _know_ before he met you," Astor said. "He and Harrison had a stable life in Miami and Aunt Deb was alive and everything—Everything was okay."

"Everything can be okay again," Hannah said.

Astor looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"It's a different sort of okay," Hannah admitted, "But you and Cody will get used to it. And it has its advantages. See the world. Experience other cultures. We were in Beijing for three years. Harrison speaks fluent Mandarin."

"It's a shame that he doesn't have any real identity or social security number to get a job with, or that would be a _really_ marketable skill."

"He has an identity," Hannah said. "He's Clark Michael Perry. He was born in Indianapolis. I've got a social security card for him somewhere, too." Hannah leaned back in her chair. "With that right attitude, it's another advantage, actually: Not many people get to completely reinvent themselves every few years. Dexter and I have been photographers, journalists, businessmen, writers, you name it..."

"For a while after he left," Astor said, "Cody and I really wanted him to come back for us. And we never told anyone that, because we knew it was wrong. But we wanted it so badly. We hated the thought that he'd abandoned us. We hated the thought of never seeing Harrison again. We hated... we hated _everything_ and we just wanted it all to go away. Everything. Everyone. So that it was just us and Dexter and Harrison." She looked up at Hannah. "I've been the daughter of Paul Bennett, the abusive drug addict. I've been the daughter of Rita Morgan, the Trinity Killer's victim. I've been the step-daughter of Dexter Morgan, the man who fled the country with Hannah McKay. I've been the granddaughter of the man who was murdered during a car-jacking, and now I'm the woman who's wanted for killing that bastard." Astor sighed. "I've wanted to be almost anyone in the world except Astor Bennett for a very long time. Do I get to pick my new name?"

"Depends on who does our passports," Hannah said. "Sometimes you'll find a guy who's so skilled that he can make you an identity from scratch. Most have to work with existing identities, so if you're lucky, you'll get a couple of options, but not complete creative freedom."

Astor nodded. "Where do you get the money?" Astor asked.

"Dexter and I have been serial killers for a long time," Hannah said. "We both always knew the day might come when we'd have to drop everything and run on a moment's notice. We both made sure we had plenty of cash stashed away for that day. Throw in a rich husband and, well, we've been living comfortable for ten years now and can probably get at least ten more years in, even with our family growing by two."

Hannah looked at the plate of food she'd offered Astor earlier. She and Dexter had already cleaned their plates. "You really should eat something. You've had a hard day. We all have."

Astor picked up her fork and picked at her vegetables with no enthusiasm. "The thing is," she said, "I can't just forgive you. You or him. It's been_ten years_."

"For what it's worth," Hannah said, "Dexter was a mess after his sister died. Harrison and I thought he was dead for eighteen months, before he found us. He needed time to sort things out. But he did come after us, and he knew that he couldn't go after you and Cody, but he never stopped looking out for you. As soon as the murder happened, he knew he wanted to be there for you. We were on the first plane to Florida that he could get tickets for."

"It helps a little," Astor said. "But it doesn't fix everything."

"I understand," Hannah said. "I know how hard it is to fix broken trust, but everything will be okay, soon."


End file.
